Heart of a Champion: A look at African-American athletes who broke down race barriers in professional sports

By Brett Bodner

Aug 22, 2016 | 1:58 PM

African American athletes have had to overcome great obstacles to break into professional sports. Without these pioneers, the sports landscape wouldn't feature the diversity that it does today. On the 66th anniversary of Althea Gibson becoming the first African-American to compete in the U.S. Open, here's a look at others who broke down the color barrier in the sporting world.